July 2009 Issue

See all presentations from the July Council meeting.

Development of the Sixth Power Plan

Council members discussed the status of the Sixth Power Plan and reviewed the plan's proposed conservation targets (210k PDF), carbon emissions costs (190k PDF), and resource strategy (130k PDF). Outstanding issues include the low conservation target (1,000 average megawatts vs. 1,100 average megawatts over 5 years) and the carbon cost assumptions used in the Council's analysis.

Council Approves 5-Year Funding for Wildlife Projects

The Council recommended funding (120k PDF) for 34 projects to implement its Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The projects, which will be funded from FY 2010-2014, benefit fish and wildlife affected by the Federal Columbia River Power System. Caps on both the expense and capital budgets, as well as performance monitoring, are stipulations of the recommendation.

The Impact of Invasive Mussels in Western Rivers

Fred Nibling, Jr., U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, presented information (2.6mb PDF) on the adverse effects of zebra/quagga mussels to the river system, and the steep costs to control their spread in the West. The mussels, first found in Lake Mead in 2007, have quickly expanded from Nevada into California, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.